Summer Nonfiction Reading and the Power of Yet
Yes, our new book is included, but my main goals are to give you two gifts:
- important reasons to read nonfiction this summer, and
- an opportunity to grab any or all of these ebooks for your summer reading at $0.99-1.99!
Let’s start with one of my favorite words — yet.
“Yet” as the key to a growth mindset
We often underestimate the influence of our words, forgetting that they not only express our thoughts but also shape them.
A growth mindset, the belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed through dedication and hard work, can be fostered by adding one word to your vocabulary: “yet.”
That short, simple word carries an amazing power to change how we talk to ourselves. Consider the common phrase we hear all too often inside our heads,
“I can’t do it.”
Now think about how the tiny addition of “yet” changes everything:
“I can’t do it yet.”
The latter instills the idea that while something might be challenging now, with time and effort, it becomes achievable. It’s a small addition to a sentence but a colossal alteration of mindset. Adding “yet” completely changes your perception of where you are and where you’re going. Current abilities shift from permanent to evolving.
Embracing a growth mindset is a conscious decision, and its vocabulary can be seamlessly integrated into our daily conversations. It starts with cultivating self-awareness, catching and correcting ourselves when we inadvertently slip into fixed mindset language.
Here are some more examples:
“I haven’t succeeded … yet.”
“I don’t know enough about this … yet.”
“We don’t have enough resources … yet.”
“You don’t have the necessary skills … yet.”
“I don’t know the people who can help … yet.”
Adding “yet” to your habitual self-talk can trigger a magical transformation of the way you think. And don’t stop there. Start treating yourself to some natural off-shoots from the statements above. Practice reframing challenges using phrases that emphasize growth and resilience.
If you can’t do it or haven’t succeeded “yet,” go on with:
“I love a challenge!”
This phrase radiates enthusiasm for pushing boundaries. Instead of shying away from difficulties, embracing challenges can be a source of growth and self-discovery.
If you don’t know enough or have the necessary skills “yet,” repeat:
“I love learning new things!”
This one will lead us onward to the summer reading list below, of course. If you maintain a habit of reading nonfiction, you’ll never stop learning and this statement will resonate as a core truth about who you are.
Words mold behavior. Words that we read, words that we speak, and words that buzz around in our heads. Adopting a growth-oriented vocabulary like we’ve been exploring here can lead to increased perseverance, a willingness to face challenges head-on, and resilience in the face of setbacks. Our beliefs, echoed in our words, often become self-fulfilling prophecies. If we continually champion growth, we naturally veer towards actions — like reading books — that make that growth a reality.
Grab a shelf full of these to turn “yet” into “now”
The real value of a growth mindset lies in turning “I can’t do it yet” into “I CAN do it NOW!”
And then, “I can do it better now.” Over and over.
That’s why my co-author, Michele Molitor, and I decided to participate in Robbie Samuels’ Prime Day promotion next week, along with 70+ other authors who are dropping the prices of the ebook editions of their books to $0.99 (or $1.99 for ones like ours that have Amazon won’t let us reduce further due to the file size of the updated Kindle file). You can grab nine or ten ebooks for the usual price of one!
To help you in sorting through the 70+ titles available, I’m going to recommend a top 5 list, but I’m not going to link to them individually. I want you to go scan the whole list to see if some of the others interest you more. Here are the ones that intrigue me most:
Be Unexpected: Resetting Routines to Revolutionize the Future of Work, by Marva Bailer. The author’s goals are ambitious. She “encourages curiosity, courage, confidence, and a spirit for leaders to collaborate with others in a positive environment that creates mutual trust, higher engagement, innovation, and deeper relationships.” With a focus on how to relate to co-workers in meetings and audiences during presentations, her sometimes counter-intuitive advice might just revolutionize the future of your work.
Small List, Big Results: Launch a Successful Offer No Matter the Size of Your Email List, by Robbie Samuels. Robbie’s knowledge, experience, and leadership come through in this book. Whether you’re an novice or veteran at running your own business, or working in someone else’s, you’ve probably heard the advice that email marketing is still the most effective route to success. Ever since reading Kevin Kelley’s blog post about the ability to succeed with “1,000 true fans” more than 25 years ago, I’ve known you don’t need a huge list (though it’s easier if you do). But everyone starts with a small list, right? Add Robbie’s teachings to your arsenal.
The High-Value Writing Workbook: Write for Success in Work and Life, by Erin Lebacqz. As I explained in my own book, Read ‘Em & Reap, while reading provides the key to knowledge, as well as soft-skills like empathy and emotional intelligence, it’s what you do with the knowledge and skills you gain that counts in the end. Which leads to writing. If you’ve followed Erin on LinkedIn as I have for a while, you know from her posts and videos that she has a lot to teach about business communication. Grab a copy of her workbook and upgrade your own writing skills.
Childhood Trauma. Some Rise. Some Fall. How to be one of the lucky ones that get back up. (How Childhood Trauma Impacts Your Career), by Deborah Brown-Volkman. Another good friend on LinkedIn, Deborah’s bravery in sharing her story is inspiring, but her lessons for finding your way through dark times and fostering resilience in your life are invaluable. Grab your copy and be “one of the lucky ones that get back up.”
Bundle Your Brilliance: Turn your expertise into profitable online courses, by Nancy Giere. This one resonates with me because I love teaching others about what I’ve learned and what I do. I just haven’t found the time and tools to put that passion online … yet. How about you? Join me in grabbing this one and let’s see what kind of courses (and profits) we can make!
Now, drumroll please!
I mentioned that Michele and I have included our book, I Am Perfectly Flawsome: How Embracing Imperfection Makes Us Better, in the Prime Day promotion. Of course we want you to grab a copy if you haven’t already.
But we have two BIG ANNOUNCEMENTS, as well:
The companion I Am Perfectly Flawsome Journal is now available on Amazon (it’s a print book for journalling and not part of the ebook promotion, so go grab yours now)! With dozens of inspirational quotations, exercises, affirmations, and space for you to record your flawsome qualities, ideas, and growth — along with your plans for growing even more flawsome along your personal pathway.
And we’re in the final stages of recording and editing the AUDIOBOOK edition of the main book! It should be released on Amazon, Audible, and iTunes in the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned for that announcement.
That’s all for this week. Do mark your calendar for Prime Day and visit Robbie’s Prime Day promotion page ahead of time to browse through the list and have your selections ready to click!
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